Trattoria Pandemonio

Trattoria PandemonioVia dei Leoni 50/rTel. 055-224-002 (reservations are necessary for dinner)Closed SundayRolando Brogi and his charming, personable, wife/chef, Giovanna Biagi, and their son/chef, Francesco, have created this wonderful restaurant. Full of warmth and informal confusion (pandemonio) the restaurant mirrors its name. The Brogi welcome their guests as if they were family, and their guests, in turn, come back again and again. My partner Bob and I have been coming here for years and feel we are family. In the evenings, they always are full. We go at lunchtime, when few people are there and are often offered tasting samples of the off menu dishes the family enjoys. Ask to sit in their lovely garden room.Menu suggestions: fried zucchini; the tortellacci (pasta stuffed with pesto and ricotta in a fresh tomato sauce), and peposo with mashed potatoes (a beef stew simmered for hours in garlic, red wine and whole peppercorns). Peposo was a creation of  Brunelleschis, who hoisted it up in large kettles and served it to his workers working on  the Duomos cupola, so they would not waste time coming down to eat. Giovannas cheese cake is the best weve had anywhere (the crust is amazing!). They have a Tuscan Chianti wine, Castello de Ama, which is not found on many wine listsdelicious! Their home-made limoncello, offered after dinner, is also quite a treat.